Chicago Cubs Rumors: Carlos Correa speculation grows

The Chicago Cubs have been courting shortstop Carlos Correa for the past year and it would seem that the two are headed towards a marriage as the Cubs have a clear need for an offensive upgrade in the middle of their infield and Correa has opted out of his deal with the Minnesota Twins.

After the Cubs inked starting pitcher Marcus Stroman to a lucrative free agent deal last offseason, speculation immediately turned to the Cubs being in on Correa. The pending lockout last winter halted any momentum the Cubs may have had in signing Correa and that may be the reason why a deal was never agreed upon between the two sides.

More so than last winter, the Cubs are once again in a position where adding Correa would address multiple areas of need. Correa's bat would give the Cubs lineup much needed potency and his glove at the shortstop position would allow the Cubs to address their need at second base by shifting Nico Hoerner over.

Correa is a near perfect fit for the Cubs and that may be the reason why Jon Morosi of MLB Network believes conversations in Major League Baseball in the coming weeks will be centered around the Cubs and Correa.

The more that Major League Baseball insiders talks, the more it seems as if the Cubs and Correa have the wedding date and are just finalizing the invites.

The biggest holdup for the Cubs signing Correa may be the cost.

Based on his comments to Minnesota Twins' beat reporters towards the end of the season, it seems as if Correa will not be looking for the short-term, high-AAV type of deal that he opted out of after his first season with the Twins.

Carlos Correa checks all the boxes for the Chicago Cubs

Correa is likely looking for a long-term deal that likely exceeds $300 million in overall value. The fact that the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Yankees may come sniffing around Correa may only increase his price.

The pursuit of Correa will be the true test for the Cubs and their intentions of spending to contend in 2023. Correa is the prize that the Cubs should be spending intelligently on and signaling the goal of the organization has shifted back to winning at the Major League level.